Child-safe door catch assembly



14, 1967 c. E. SCHUETTE 3,399,126

CHILD-SAFE DOOR CATCH ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 28, 1964 I N VENTOR. C4N 5 sch05775 United States Patent 3,309,126 CHILD-SAFE DOQR CATCH ASSEMBLYClarence E. Schuette, 817 S. Lorrnann Circle, Lengwood, Fla. 32750 FiledAug. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 392,795 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-175) This inventionrelates to a child-safe door catch assembly, adapted to be installed ona hinged door and its frame, out of reach of small children, the regularknoboperated spring bolt being rendered inoperative.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a practical,efficient, and easily installed assembly of the kind indicated, which isadapted to all presently used forms of doors and door frames, the use ofwhich assembly relieves parents and other guardians of young children ofthe necessity to maintain a constant watch lest such children escape, byoperating the regular door knoboperated latch, and come to harm.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, uncomplex,inexpensive, and easily operated assembly of the character indicatedabove, which is adapted to be easily rendered inoperative, withoutremoving the main catch components from the door and from the doorframe.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a door frame, a hingeddoor therein, the latter being shown in open position, showing anassembly of the present invention installed;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line22 of FIGURE 1, showing the catch engaged with the catch pin, the doorbeing in closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a view, like FIGURE 2, showing the catch in compressedinoperative position and disengaged from the catch pin;

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged perspective view of the catch;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view, on the scale of FIG- URE 4, of theretainer for the spring bolt of the existent door latch; and,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective View, on the same scale, of another form ofretainer.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and first to FIG- URES l to 5thereof, a conventional door frame side member 10 is shown, having aface 12 formed with a vertical laterally projecting jamb stop 14, whichis spaced from opposite sides of the member It). At the usual heightabove the lower end of the side member It), a

'door, the latch being operable by the usual knob 22.

With this arrangement, a small child can easily reach and operate theknob, open the associated door 24, and escape Without notice, unlesswatched.

In accordance with the present invention, the spring bolt 18 of the door24 is rendered inoperative to engage in the opening of the latch plate16, by means of a retainer 26. The retainer 26, which is formed ofspring sheet metal, or other suitable material, comprises a U-shapehaving a cross member 28, of substantially the same width as thethickness of the door 24, and straight right-angular arms 30, the latterterminating in short lateral wings 32 which serve as fingerpieces forinstalling and removing the retainer. The inner surfaces of the arms 30,as shown in FIGURE 5, are roughened or knurled, as indicated at 32, forsufiiciently strong frictional engagement with the opposed surfaces ofthe door 24, that, when the retainer arms are engaged with thesesurfaces and the retainer is pushed toward the free edge 34 of the door,the cross member 28 of the retainer will push the spring bolt 18 intothe latch 20 and be retained in this inoperative position. The retainer26 can be easily pulled off to free the spring bolt to operativeposition, simply by pulling on one or both of the wings 32.

In FIGURE 6 is shown another form of retainer 26a, which differs fromthat in FIGURE 5, only in the -covering of adjacent portions of theinner surfaces of the arms 36a, and the outer surfaces of the wings 32a,with tapes 33a, which, in certain cases, provide a better grip on theopposed surfaces of a door and prevent marring thereof.

The instant catch assembly further comprises a catch pin 38, which isadapted to be driven into the related part of the door frame face 12, ata distance above the latch plate 16 that cannot be reached by youngchildren, the pin having a projecting head 40.

Cooperating with the catch pin head 40 is a catch 42, which is mountedon and around the free edge 34 of the door 24, on the same level as thecatch pin. The catch 42, which is formed of flat spring metal, or othersuitable material stock, comprises an elongated U-shape having a crossmember 44, of substantially the thickness of the door 24, and elongatedarms 46, adapted to bear against the opposed surfaces 48 and 50 of thedoor. The cross member 44 is spaced outwardly from the free edge 34 ofthe door, in order that the cross member 44 have free inherent resilientaction, relative to the door edge.

The cross member 44 is formed with a central, preferably rectangularopening 52, adapted to receive the catch pin head 40, when the door isswung to closed position, by being flexed, toward the free edge 34 ofthe door, by initial contact with the catch pin head. When the opening52 reaches the catch pin head 40, the latter enters the opening 42, andthe cross member resiles to its original form and the edges of itsopening 52 are in lateral holding engagement with the catch pin head,for retaining the door in closed position.

The arms 46 of the catch 42 are formed, intermediate their ends, andpreferably near their free ends 52, with lateral compressible andresilient loops 56, which, when manually compressed, decrease theeffective lengths of the catch arms 46, and thereby move the crossmember 44 toward the free edge 34 of the door, and off the head of thecatch pin, so as to free the door to be opened.

The catch 42 is secured in place on the door, by means of screws 58,passed through openings 60, provided in the portions 62, of the arms,between the loops 56 and the ends of the arms, and threaded into thedoor.

The catch arm 46 facing the door surface 48, is formed between therelated loop 56 and the cross member 44, with a longitudinal slot 64,through which a retaining screw 66 is threaded into the door. Thisarrangement is provided as a means of retaining the catch 42 in acontracted position, obtained by squeezing a loop 56, wherein the crossmember 44 is retracted out of catch pin engaging position. When thecatch is so retracted, the screw 66 is tightened to hold the position.

A slight squeeze on the loop 56, from either side of the door, willrelease the catch, so that the door may be either pushed or pulled open.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a door frame having a jamb face, a door hingedin the frame and having a free edge adapted to confront said jamb facein the closed position of the door, a catch p-in mounted on the jambface and having a projecting head, a catch mounted on the door in linewith the catch pin head, said catch member comprising a resilientU-shape having a cross member lying along and normally spaced outwardlyfrom the free edge of the door and arms engaged with opposed surfaces ofthe door, said arms having free inner ends, said cross member beingformed With a catch pin head receiving opening, said cross membernormally being in a plane containing the catch pin head and beingadapted to be flexed by initial contact with said head to provide forretentive reception of the head into said opening as the door is closed,means securing the arms of the catch to the related surfaces of the doorat the inner ends of the arms, and said arms including compressible andresilient lateral loops intermediate their ends, said loops beingadapted to be manually compressed to eifectively contract the arms andmove the cross member toward the free edge of the door for disengagingthe opening of the cross member from the catch pin head.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein one of the catch arms is formedwith a longitudinal slot space between the cross member and the relatedcompressible loop, and a retaining screw extending through the slot andthreaded into the door, said screw being adapted to be tightened toretain the catch arms in contracted condition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 493,203 3/1893Badoni 287-,87

987,271 3/1911 Upton. 1,670,908 5/1928 Smith 292238 X 2,685,473 8/1954Adcll 16-85 X 2,975,491 3/1961 Paul et al. 2921 X FOREIGN PATENTS1,196,760 5/1959 France.

12,647 3/1910 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A DOOR FRAME HAVING A JAMB FACE, A DOOR HINGEDIN THE FRAME AND HAVING A FREE EDGE ADAPTED TO CONFRONT SAID JAMB FACEIN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE DOOR, A CATCH PIN MOUNTED ON THE JAMB FACEAND HAVING A PROJECTING HEAD, A CATCH MOUNTED ON THE DOOR IN LINE WITHTHE CATCH PIN HEAD, SAID CATCH MEMBER COMPRISING A RESILIENT U-SHAPEHAVING A CROSS MEMBER LYING ALONG AND NORMALLY SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM THEFREE EDGE OF THE DOOR AND ARMS ENGAGED WITH OPPOSED SURFACES OF THEDOOR, SAID ARMS HAVING FREE INNER ENDS, SAID CROSS MEMBER BEING FORMEDWITH A CATCH PIN HEAD RECEIVING OPENING, SAID CROSS MEMBER NORMALLYBEING IN A PLANE CONTAINING THE CATCH PIN HEAD AND BEING ADAPTED TO BEFLEXED BY INITIAL CONTACT WITH SAID HEAD TO PROVIDE FOR RETENTIVERECEPTION OF THE HEAD INTO SAID OPENING AS THE DOOR IS CLOSED, MEANSSECURING THE ARMS OF THE CATCH TO THE RELATED SURFACES OF THE DOOR ATTHE INNER ENDS OF THE ARMS, AND SAID ARMS INCLUDING COMPRESSIBLE ANDRESILIENT LATERAL LOOPS INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS, SAID LOOPS BEINGADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY COMPRESSED TO EFFECTIVELY CONTRACT THE ARMS ANDMOVE THE CROSS MEMBER TOWARD THE FREE EDGE OF THE DOOR FOR DISENGAGINGTHE OPENING OF THE CROSS MEMBER FROM THE CATCH PIN HEAD.